Testing and Performance
Upon initially firing up the Web management interface in my testing, the NAS checked for new firmware updates. A newer version was discovered, and the download process began. It took a long time for the upgrade to happennearly a half an hour. Most NAS firmware upgrades I've tested are finished in about 10 to 15 minutes. Now, I don't test NASes on the fastest Internet connection we have in the labs, but I use the same connection for all of the devices I test. By far, QNAP's firmware upgrade took the longest. I don't know why that is, but I found quirkiness in general with QNAP NAS firmware upgrade processas I had earlier found when testing QNAP's TS-459 Pro+ Turbo NAS device.

MyCloud NAS Wizard walks you through setting up the NAS for remote access by registering a MyCloudNAS name, setting up the router configuration (UPnP port forwarding), and enabling and publishing NAS services to QNAP's MyCloudNAS service. It's a well-intentioned way to give easy remote access although I had a few issues. After going through the first couple of steps, I received an error, "Cannot connect to the MyCloudNAS service." I closed the wizard, started it up again, and didn't get the message.

I was prompted to enter a hostname for the NAS and the service checks to ensure the hostname is not already being used within the service. Next, the software auto-configured the wireless router to allow remote access for services like FTP with SSL/TLS and Web Server. I received another error, "Auto router configuration failed." The wizard could not establish port forwarding on my network's router for FTP/FTPS and Web Server, Multimedia Server services.

It's important to realize, that this error does not necessarily mean an inherent problem with the TS-212. Indeed, using an open port scanner, I could see the ports that these failed services require to be opened were being blocked. The router's firewall or the ISP could be the culprit, not the NAS. While this issue can be relatively easy to fix, it's problems like this that could potentially lengthen the setup time for remote access and necessitate some rather advanced network troubleshooting. Since QNAP is marketing this product for consumers and SOHO owners, the remote access proceduresomething many want to be able to do with their NASesshould be as easy a setup process as I found with the LG's N2A2 NAS.

The TS-212 recoups its losses against the N2A2 via more advanced security options. You can create an access control list based on domain or IP address, upload an SSL certificate or private key and enable network access protection rules. These rules can prevent hackers from accessing the NAS via Telnet, SSH or other protocols and services.

The expandability of storage capacity is also phenomenal. Not only do you get the virtual iSCSI storage, but this NAS is capable of drive expansion on-the-fly, without loss of data. This capability is only available though, if you have the volumes configured for RAID1.

The interface as mentioned is nice to work in. The Web File Manager tool works very well and you can upload multiple files at the same time. The TS-212 by default, is configured with folders  "Multimedia," "Public," "Download," and some other common folders you would find on a NAS device. Neither the TS-212 or the N2A2 auto-maps drive letter to these folders for users to work directly within Windows Explorer, for instance which would be easier for average users to manage files.

The Read/Write performance, while better than most consumer NASes, still did not beat LG's N2A2 which surprised me somewhat since, QNAP's NAS has a Marvell 6281 1.2-GHz and the LG has a slightly less speedier Marvell 88F6281 1.0-GHz. But the difference was not that much, as mentioned just falls a bit short of the N2A2. The TS-212 managed a Write speed of 15 Mbps versus the N2A2's 21 MBps.

An Impressive Piece of Hardware
QNAP TS-212 TurboNAS and the LG Super Multi N2A2 NAS were both in the running for Home/SOHO NAS Editors' Choice. They're similar in price (except the TS-212 does not come with disks, the LG does) specs, and feature set. They both also uniquely fall between a NAS strictly for consumers and one with rather weighty small business features. It was a tough decision, but ultimately the Editors' Choice went to the LG Super Multi N2A2 NAS because it had slightly better performance, and was virtually free of any setup errors or problem configuring remote access. Still, the QNAP TS-212 TurboNAS is an impressive piece of home networking hardware, one that leads in other areas like security and expandability. If you need a NAS mostly for your home business or you generate lots of data or store sensitive data like people's medical records, consider QNAP TS-212 TurboNAS. Just be prepared to run into occasional quirkiness.

Samara Lynn has nearly twenty years experience in Information Technology; most recently as IT Director at a major New York City healthcare facility. She has a Bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College, several technology certifications, and...

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